The goalmap method to reach your goals

Because we are passionate about personal development, we created an innovative method to help you reach your life goals.

Our mission: help you, thanks to the goalmap app, make your resolutions stick and fight procrastination.

Pillar #1: set S.M.A.R.T. goals

The personal objective journey starts with setting goals, obviously. These goals have to be set effectively, otherwise all your efforts might well be lost. In order to be effective and actionable, personal goals need to be S.M.A.R.T., an acronym which stands for:

Specific: Your goals should be detailed and concrete. Don't say “I want to lose weight” but rather “I want to lose 4 kilos by year-end” (target quantity and date are important).

Measurable: Your goal should be quantified so that you know at any point in time whether you are on track or not: 8 hours of sleep, 1 session of yoga, saving 500 dollars, etc. This will enable you to track your progress on a regular basis.

Attainable: Don't over-plan, your objective must be within reasonable reach. If it's too big, then go progressively or break it into smaller manageable goals.

Realistic: Your goals need to take into account your resources (time, energy, money) and your context (social, professional, economic, etc.). If you expect the birth of triplets next month, think twice before you set a goal to visit 10 new countries by year-end !

Time-bound: that's really important, your goal should have a deadline, let's not beat around the bush.

Goals on goalmap are S.M.A.R.T. of course!

A goal is S.M.A.R.T. if it is:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time-bound

Pillar #2: the S.T.A.R. system to enter the virtuous circle of self-realization

It's crucial to set goals effectively, yet setting goals is not enough. It's like entering a destination in your GPS. It's helpful but it won't get you there! It's only part of the process. Setting a goal is a one-time static event. In order to reach your goals, a dynamic approach is required.

This dynamic approach is what I called the S.T.A.R. system. S.T.A.R. is another easy-to-remember acronym which stands for set, track, assess and review goals:

Set: You know about that part already: your goals have to be S.M.A.R.T.; that's where it all starts!

Track: It's key to track progress in a consistent and structured manner; i.e., not just in your head. Tracking fosters self-awareness which is a cornerstone of progress and success.

Analyze: If you set goals properly and track what you are doing, you can then easily compare the target with where you actually stand.

Review: Goals are not meant to be cast in stone. You should plan to reassess them on a regular basis as you reach or miss them, and as the situation –including you!- evolves over time.

goalmap is built on the S.T.A.R. approach: (1) you pick up goals in the Goal store and set them S.M.A.R.T; (2) you log your activities as you progress towards your goals; (3) you see in the Results page where you stand; and, (4) you edit your goals over time.

The S.T.A.R. System to reach your goals:

Set

Track

Analyze

Review

Pillar #3: the goal mapping, a transversal approach to personal development

The goal map approach consists of mapping out all your actionable aspirations in all fields of life. It's a transversal approach. A goal map encompasses your objectives in all areas of your life, from physical to social, from professional to spiritual, financial, cultural, etc. Here are some of the benefits such an approach has:

Taking control of your destiny: By looking at your life as a whole, you put yourself in the driver seat and start taking an active role. You think, you plan, you decide: you are the architect of your own life.

Creating balance: What happens at work impacts your mood at home, a good night of sleep gives you energy to accomplish things throughout the day, exercise helps you disconnect, etc. The various aspects of your life are all interdependent. Look at it as a whole!

Making choices:: Your life pursuits and hobbies compete for the same limited resources; your time and energy. These resources being limited, we need to make choices. If you want conflicting things, you may end up getting none. A goal map will provide you with a bird's-eye view of your life to identify bottlenecks and realize where choices are required.

Activating synergies: It's not only about identifying conflicts, it's also about finding synergies between your aspirations. Sport can help you manage your stress better and be nicer to others as a result, meditating can provide a useful spiritual relief after a long day at work and help you think clearer, etc.

At goalmap, we definitely embrace the goal map approach - that's where we took our name from!- and look at life holistically. This is reflected in the multiple categories of goals that we have.

Why having all your life goals at the same place?

Taking control of your destiny

Creating balance

Making choices

Activating synergies

Pillar #4: the power of community

The journey that we start when we set objectives for ourselves is not an easy ride. Guidance is always welcome. When we struggle with a situation, chances are someone else has been there already.

The smartest app with all its reminders and rewards will never substitute the human bond. No one achieves much on their own. Here are three key ways in which friends (and family, and colleagues) can help you reach your goal:

Encouragement: Tell friends about your plans. They'll be checking in on you and pushing you along. They don't need to be experts in the field; they'll cheer you on when you're nearly there or re-motivate you when you feel down. Let them know about your progress as they'll be keen to find out how you're getting on. This will give you a huge boost.

Advice: You're starting your own company or plan to run a marathon? Chances are that someone you know has been there before. Reach out to them. Their advice will be extremely valuable: you'll benefit from what they've learned and won't have to start from scratch. Then in turn you'll pass this knowledge as well as your own findings on to others.

Support: People also support each other in very practical ways. A friend may babysit your kids so that you can do that race with your husband. You've just moved into a new role at work with more responsibilities and your mentor lends you a fantastic book on leadership. Or the other way round. Mutual support will get us a long way.

Accountability: This one is indirect. By letting your friends know about your goals, you make your goals more real which increases your sense of ownership. You cannot back down anymore!

At goalmap, we believe in the power of the community to support each of us on the way to our goals, and the boost it gives us to transcend ourselves. We have plans to unlock the power of the community within the goalmap app. We're working hard on it – supported by your encouragements and positive feedback!